Senator-Elect Ricky Muir Can't Take Time Off From His Saw Mill Job To Meet Tony Abbott

Ricky Muir, the senator-elect from the Motoring Enthusiast Party, can’t get time off work to see the Prime Minister.

A Fairfax Media report says Tony Abbott is taking the lead in negotiations with the soon-to-be crossbench senators that could decide the fate of his budget.

Abbott, according to the report, has met — or has scheduled meetings with – Democratic Labor Party Senator John Madigan, the South Australian senator-elect from Family First, Bob Day, and David Leyonhjelm.

But Muir, a father-of-five children, needs to continue working before he officially becomes a politician once the new Senate sits. He can’t afford to take time off before then.

Once he starts he will go from $500 per week to a $190,000 annual salary.

“He has to work for a living. He has a mortgage, he has to feed his family,” Keith Littler, the founder of the Motoring Enthusiast Party, told Fairfax.

“He just can’t take time off at the whim of the Prime Minister.”

The bloc of senators could hold the balance of power in the Upper House and will be crucial if Abbott wants to pass some of his contentious budget measures.